


Eyes On Me

by Pandolphin



Category: Dragon Quest XI
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fire Emblem, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard, Yearning, enough pining to give mr darcy an ulcer, for like one chapter but its there, light spoilers for dq11, most of this will just be gay panic, no prior knowledge of the fe series needed, side note Veronica is Tallronica, specifically based on Awakening but its more of the concept of fe than anything, the hero's name is Nova
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23641666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandolphin/pseuds/Pandolphin
Summary: On a strategic standpoint, this changed very little. Close to nothing, honestly. Those taking the fight to the raiders would still benefit from the helping hand of a dancer, so their mages would be able to more effectively push back.But on a personal standpoint, this was… challenging. Far be it from Nova to doubt Erik or his skills, if he said he could do it, Nova knew he could, but therein was the problem: if Erik said he could dance… he could dance.
Relationships: Camus | Erik/Hero | Luminary (Dragon Quest XI), background faris/gemma
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> dq11s told us that Erik canonically knows how to dance, and to that i went "hey, what if he had a dancer costume like Serena does! :D but what would it look like? well, Inigo's dancer costume looks really nice--" and now here we are. that is my only excuse, but now you're imagining it too, so can you really blame me for letting it escalate to this.

“—at this point,” Nova guided his hand from the palace entrance to the tent nearby, “if Jade and Erik haven’t been able to reach the front doors, we’ll have secured the secondary entryway from inside the circus. Ideally, Hendrik and Gemma will be fronting that, with Mia with them in case, but…”

He looked up from the map of the Gallopolis desert, “Gemma, how’s Sylvando’s arm doing?” 

“Well…” Gemma cast Sylvando a worried look, which he returned with a frown and a shrug from his good arm, before answering. “It’s… a lot better than it was, that’s for sure! But I don’t think we’re ready to send ‘im back out there.” 

“That arrow didn’t nick me… _too_ badly,” Sylvando added, trying to soften the blow, “but… it was _still_ an arrow, darling.” 

“So, what you’re saying is,” Jade spoke up at Nova’s side, arms crossed, “we can’t have you out on the field just yet.” 

“I… I think he could if we were desperate,” Gemma prefaced herself with a slight wince; as kind a leader as Jade was, she was still much more royalty than she would ever consider Nova to be—or that Nova would ever consider himself to be, for that matter, “but I would give ‘im _at least_ another two weeks, before sending ‘im out to fight again.” 

Jade’s response was a solemn nod and a hum, before she turned to address her brother. “Nova. As tactician, you have the final say.” 

“But no pressure.” Nova bit his cheek, as a distraction to keep his shoulders from dropping too noticeably. The thickness of his tactician’s robes hid much, thankfully. 

“…Having someone with energizing magic would be a great help.” He started, chin in his hand, eyes trained on the map. “The goal is to get the brigands out of the city to reduce damage, and in this terrain, we need Veronica and Grandpa to keep moving as fast as they can to route them. But it’s not worth pushing that injury…” 

“If I may,” Serena spoke up, quieter than usual, “I could get my songstress’ things ready. I’m not sure if I’d be needed elsewhere, but…” 

Her voice cut off with a few coughs, and Veronica gave her sister a consoling pat on the back. 

“Not a chance.” Veronica said. “Even if you _weren’t_ still getting over that fever, we need you on your pegasus as a healer. We can’t have Gemma stuck running back and forth between the palace and the town by herself.” 

“I suppose, but…” 

“No, Serena, she’s right.” Nova said. “Thank you for offering, but we can’t risk having both Sylvando and you out on the sidelines on a second assault—especially since we don’t know what’s waiting for us in the palace. Faris is more resilient than he seems, and we know Lady Miko and Ryu are with him, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible. We can’t afford to overlook an injury, on them or anyone else inside.” 

A silence fell over the strategy meeting, not uncomfortable, but frustrated. When messengers of the sultanate had called for help in the face of invaders, the Shepherds of Heliodor hadn’t spared a moment to prepare for battle, but the march to the desert hadn’t been without its fair share of difficulties. More and more bandits were coming out of the woodwork—most likely being the culprits of Gallopolis’ woes, currently—and had managed one successful ambush on the army. 

Even with their victory under Nova’s leadership, injuries were to be expected; Sylvando had held his own with the determination and finesse expected of a performer of his caliber until Hendrik came to his aid, but even by his own admission, he was lucky that arrow had only grazed him. 

And this was all still outside the city walls. The brigands they’d fought hadn’t been the toughest bunch, but they had been many. And if those had been just the stragglers, then the strongest of them were more than likely within Gallopolis waiting for them, in unknown numbers. 

Nova looked back up from the map with a sigh. “We’ll just have to make due without a dancer. It’ll be tough, but not impossible.” 

There were some grumbles, to be expected, but it wasn’t with an intent to fight his decision. The cons far outmatched the pros of having one less healer on hand, and everyone in the meeting understood that. 

Then Erik knocked a hand on the table. 

Nova snapped back to reality. He had Erik’s telltale methods of getting his attention committed to memory, and even if he hadn’t, there was no mistaking the crest decorating Erik’s gloves; Fenrir’s Pommel, the rose compass of the north, guided his hands swiftly in all things, to blades, to gold, to Nova’s eye. Only Erik among them brought the stars down to the earth. 

Nova bit his cheek again, this time as a reminder; planning now, pining later. 

When Nova lifted his face to his, he found that Erik had his eyes trained on him with an unreadable sort of seriousness. “What is it, Erik?” 

“Are we…” He paused, somewhat uneasy, as if debating if he had anything truly worth saying; his fingers unfurled and drummed against the table once, “…do you think we’re going to need two lockpicks on hand for this?” 

“Uh—” By “two lockpicks”, Erik meant himself and his sister; Mia perked up at the mention of her, and looked at Nova expectantly for an answer. She was still itching to see some combat, it seemed. 

“That’ll depend on how heavily guarded the front of the palace is, but…” Nova shrugged. “Having you both at the ready would be more for insurance, than anything. We could get by with only one. Why?” 

Erik took this answer with a quiet exhale, and he leaned up from the table, arms crossed over his chest. “…Alright. I can do it, then.” 

“Do… what, exactly?” 

“I’ll dance.” 

The response to his declaration was immediate and unignorable. Crates creaked, chairs scuffled against the floor, and Nova was sure he heard a few necks crack from snapping so hard in Erik’s direction. One of them was probably his. 

Erik looked around the room and all the eyes on him with a glare. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence!” 

“You—wait, but… really, Erik.” Nova placed both hands on the table, if for no other reason than to brace himself. “ _Can_ you?” 

“I… have some experience.” Erik looked like he was extremely regretting bringing it up, but he was nothing if not committed. “Mia and Derk can vouch for me. Got the costume and everything.” 

“‘e certainly does! Managed to nab the togs for ‘im m’self, ages ago. Easier t’ breathe in, an’ all.” And Derk gave his confirmation with his own fair amount of surprise, but not for the same reason. “But I can’t believe you kept all o’ that, Erik—‘aven’t been out in a desert in a long time.” 

“I can’t control the weather. Emergencies happen.” Erik shrugged. “And even so, it’s a nice set of clothes. It would’ve been a shame just to sell it to some random merchant, after all the hoops you went through to get it.” 

“ _You_ know how to _dance_?” Veronica, the only one brave enough to ask what was on everyone’s mind, cut into the conversation and bolted from her place at Serena’s side, to point a finger in Erik’s face. “For how long?! Why didn’t you ever tell us before?!” 

Erik raised a brow and batted away her hand, before pointing behind her himself—specifically, pointing at Sylvando, who was doing absolutely nothing to hide just how very delighted he was by this new information. 

Veronica glanced at him a moment, then turned back to Erik, annoyed but conceding. “…Alright, point taken.” 

“I—hold on, hold on.” Nova set his focus back on the map; it would be easier for him to let the gears start spinning if he didn’t have to look at Erik while he thought. “Let me run through this.” 

On a strategic standpoint, this changed very little. Close to nothing, honestly. Those taking the fight to the raiders would still benefit from the helping hand of a dancer, so their mages would be able to more effectively push back. And it didn’t matter if it was Erik or Mia who opened the door, so long as _one_ of them made it to the door in the first place, and that was a near guarantee, since they would be riding with Jade on her pegasus. As he thought about it, having Mia fly with Jade would be ideal, because that meant that Mia could retaliate against enemy archers, if there were any—Nova hadn’t known her to miss a shot yet, and he knew Erik wouldn’t have brought her up if he didn’t think she could handle the task at hand. 

But on a personal standpoint, this was… challenging. Far be it from Nova to doubt Erik or his skills, if he said he could do it, Nova knew he could, but therein was the problem: if Erik said he could dance… _he could dance_. And certainly it would be with his own take, not strictly with the flair and flamboyance that Sylvando did his routines with, and Nova understood that—but the mental image of Erik as the company’s dancer, however brief it would be, was not one he thought he was prepared to handle. Emotionally. And possibly a bit physically. 

Dancers were meant to be enticing. Alluring. Soft, even. All a bevvy of things that Erik, as a thief, made a point not to be, but that Erik, as _Erik_ , succeeded in without batting an eye, and as a result made Nova more than weak in the knees. He had watched him practice his assassin’s skills countless times before to devise strategies, and it was a miracle Erik had never caught on to how mesmerized he was every time. And that was just from combat practice—Nova wasn’t sure he could watch those same fluid movements in a dance and not give away how utterly enamored he was for Erik on a battlefield. 

But more than that, Erik was kind. His hands were warm and his heart was gold. Erik was his partner, his best friend, his “bosom buddy”, as Sylvando had put it once—honestly, with how close they were, Nova was surprised he didn’t notice his feelings changing when they did. 

Still. The lot of them had been marching under one banner for some time now, and Nova hadn’t let just how smitten he was overpower his tactician duties yet. It wouldn’t be right of him to turn down such a boon just because he personally didn’t think he could handle it. If the stakes were smaller, if it was just another pack of Risen in some random foothill in Heliodor, he could afford to say no, but there were lives on the line this time; Nova had pushed aside his wants time after time for the greater good, and he’d do it again. 

Nova looked back up—to Mia, specifically. He knew he had Erik’s blessing in his planning, and it did keep him from having to look at Erik again right away. “Mia… if Erik does this, do _you_ think you can handle unlocking the doors by yourself?” 

“Obviously!” Mia bolted off the stack of crates she’d been perched on, pushing Erik and Veronica apart and bouncing when she hit the ground. “And it’s about _time_ you let me go on my own. Erik can’t have all the important jobs. If you want something done _right_ , you need the person that does the best work!” 

She spoke with her usual bite, but it was very apparent how thrilled she was to test her mettle out on the field. Erik ruffled her hair with a proud if not exasperated grin. 

“And… you’re _sure_ about this, Erik.” Nova could look at him now, having made relative peace with the fact that this was probably happening. 

Right on cue, there was Erik’s normal, cocky grin, arms crossed over his chest. “Wouldn’t be pulling my weight if I wasn’t, now would I? Might need a few alterations, but that’s nothing that can’t be fixed.” 

“On such short notice? I thought you said you hadn’t worn it for a while.” 

“It’s _really_ small alterations.” Erik nodded towards Gemma’s direction, very pointedly ignoring Sylvando’s perpetual glee. “Can I bring it to you later, Gemma? You’ll… get what I mean.” 

“O-Oh! Um—sure. Sure?” Gemma cast a glance to Nova, asking quietly for his approval; Nova merely shrugged, equally as bewildered. “Sure! I’ll… see what I can do, I guess!” 

“Thaaaank you.” Erik gestured a two-fingered salute in her direction, before turning back to their tactician. “Well, Mister Luminary? Do I have your official seal of approval, or what?” 

“I know you well enough by now to know you don’t make empty claims.” Nova said that with great reliance. He had never known Erik not to give anything his all. “If you can cover for Sylvando until Serena’s recovered, I’d appreciate it.” 

“Easy.” 

Erik was no less self-assured than if he’d been asked to infiltrate. Nova was grateful for his confidence, putting him at ease, and for the stuffiness of the room, if only for being the perfect cover for the heat rising to his face. 

“Alright.” Nova dropped his eyes and his hands back to the map. “Let’s go over the plan one more time…”


	2. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’re going to be sorry once we get out there, y’know.” Erik sighed, with exaggerated ire, and he turned to Nova—presumably to get some backup from Veronica’s ribbing, but Erik fell short on seeing his stunned face. “You alright there, partner?”
> 
> Alright? Was he alright? It was worse than Nova had thought. Erik was beautiful, and he hadn’t even actually danced yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're gonna play the part, you gotta look the part. it's time to dress up a boy ;)

The army awoke early the following day. Temperatures in the desert were rapidly fluctuating, with blistering heat in the day and frigid cold in the night, and for the best interest of their attack, they had to strike while the weather allowed them the most mobility. Not everyone was equipped to handle the dry air—in particular, the few mounts being sent out needed extra time to accumulate, and Nova, as per his usual insistence, focused his preparations there. 

Hendrik was more than able to prepare Obsidian on his own for both himself and Gemma, and Jade had Mia to help her ready Onyx, so he went to help dress Serena’s pegasus. Serena kept her attention to her old friend’s face, whispering calming words while Nova and Veronica strapped on her armor and saddle. 

“There, there, Hestia, it’s alright…” 

“Is she nervous?” Veronica asked, tying a provisions pack to the skirt. 

“She knows Serena still isn’t feeling well.” Nova gave the pegasus a gentle pat on her neck, before handing Serena the mount’s helm. “Of course she’s a little worried.” 

“Really? …Oh, dear. You needn’t worry about me so.” Serena nuzzled Hestia affectionately, before slipping the helm over her horn. “I’m well enough, I promise! And I know that you’ll keep Rab and I safe.” 

“On second thought—” The suddenly curt tone of Veronica’s voice drew both of them to her, or rather, to where she was looking; Veronica had glanced over to where Rab was adding some salve to Sylvando’s arm, an unimpressed look in her eyes, “—it might actually be _Rab_ she’s concerned about.” 

“I… no, you’re right, I can’t argue that.” Nova offered Hestia a tired smile, and Serena laughed quietly behind her hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever asked you to carry one of our men before, have I, Serena? Hestia can’t be too happy about it.” 

“No, I don’t think you have… but she does so well with you, I never thought much of it.” 

“Nova’s the Luminary, _and_ a horse whisperer. He hardly counts towards all men for pegasus-kind.” Veronica flipped the brim of her witch’s hat to better look at her sister. “I suppose this battle is just going to be a lot of firsts for everyone.” 

Serena cast a questioning glance to Nova, who only shrugged in return, before asking, carefully, “Veronica, are you talking about Erik?” 

“Can you blame me? That was a pretty big surprise he just dropped on all of us yesterday.” Satisfied with the last fastening of the bridle, Veronica plopped back down in her seat. “A part of me still can’t believe you took it into play so quickly, Nova.” 

“Well… tactician, right? I gotta be ready for the unexpected.” Nova answered with a laugh—Veronica, he’d come to learn, did not delve too deep into his and Erik’s relationship beyond “dumb boys”, so it didn’t take much not to rouse her suspiscions. “Erik isn’t one to lie about what he can do, and we did really need a dancer. It would’ve been stupid not to take him up on the offer.” 

He looked away from Veronica to examine the space at large, brows furrowed. “But, since you brought him up, I don’t see Erik anywhere… or Gemma, for that matter. Have either of you seen them?” 

“I think Gemma went to the medical tent to pick up some concoctions. She brought me back some chalk she’d borrowed before I got here.” Veronica offered. “Erik was having her fix his clothes up a bit, wasn’t he?” 

“He said it was some minor alterations. She probably needed the chalk for mark-ups.” 

“Feh. Bit cheeky of him to be asking that, on such short notice. Gemma’s a marvel with a needle, wonder she didn’t sew his mouth right up whe—” 

“Ah—E-Erik!” 

If Serena’s somewhat strained cry of surprise cut didn’t Veronica clean off, then she certainly stopped when her body recoiled in apparent shock. Blinking once in confusion, Nova turned around, and… oh. 

Erik’s flair as a dancer was definitely not Sylvando’s. Sylvando was a whirlwind of color and sound and feathers—a person would see him with their ears before he’d actually entered the room, and that was the method that worked best for him. But comparatively, Erik was… _demure_. Quietude was part of his trade as a thief, and he achieved that well, and he’d somehow translated that into his dancer’s demeanor. No one had even heard him come in the room, but all eyes were on him without him having said a word, for all the reasons they wouldn’t be on Sylvando. 

His garb was a medley of deep blues and blacks, contrasting so strikingly against his pale skin that if it were any darker outside, Nova would have sworn Erik was glowing. As expected, he had no real armor to speak of—just thick, golden bangles on his ankles, wrists, and arms—and his midriff was completely exposed. All that covered his chest was a sleeveless top that clung to him just a bit too tightly and showed off a bit too much, and his legs—his hips!—barring his sword in its scabbard, all that covered his legs was silken harem pants, and a golden belt of scarves hanging a bit too low around his waist. The scarves twinkled gold in the early morning light, constellations stitched carefully into the blackened-blue. 

Nova gaped. 

Erik looped a pair of golden dancer’s rings—the teeth of which were shaped like snowflakes, it was a standard of Sniflheim dancers, Nova recalled distantly—onto one gloved arm, and looked at Veronica expectantly, seemingly too annoyed to notice Nova slack-jawed in his direction. “And just _who’s_ being a bit cheeky, exactly?” 

“Oh, _you_ are!” As was her nature, Veronica bounced back quickly, grinning up a devilish storm as she came to get a closer gander at him. “I mean, just _look_ at you! Who knew you could clean up this good?” 

She wasn’t the only one that thought so; he had turned more than a few heads when he walked in, Nova could see now, but Erik didn’t pay most of them any mind. Sylvando’s exuberance could be felt eons away, though, and a pointed glare from Erik was the only thing that kept him in his seat across the room. Mia laughed at him from where she stood with Jade, and he glared at her, too. 

“Funny, Veronica. That’s not usually first on the list of descriptors you have for me.” He countered. “Let’s not forget who’ll be keeping you up and running today, hm?” 

“Please. I just said you _look_ the part.” Veronica beat him on the shoulder with the back of her hand. “We still have to see you _play_ the part.” 

“You’re going to be sorry once we get out there, y’know.” Erik sighed, with exaggerated ire, and he turned to Nova—presumably to get some backup from Veronica’s ribbing, but Erik fell short on seeing his stunned face. “You alright there, partner?” 

Alright? Was he _alright_? It was worse than Nova had thought. Erik was beautiful, and he hadn’t even actually danced yet. 

“I—yeah, I just—” Yes, good, that tactician brain of his was moving again; there had been a faint hint of amusement in Erik’s voice, and that hint was enough to drag Nova back into reality. “I thought you said it needed alterations? It all looks fine to me.” 

“What? …Oh, right.” Erik looked himself over, and Nova patted himself on the back for a diversion well executed. “It was just a little addition, actually. Gemma’s got the part with it. She around yet?” 

“I’m right here!” Right on cue, Gemma jogged into the room, the last of their infiltration party to arrive, hair askew and headscarf caught on a tilt. She came to a stop before Nova, leaning over her cleric’s skirt to rest on her knees, softly panting. “Sorry I’m late! I was helpin’ bottle up some medicine, and I lost track of—oh!” 

Gemma stood up straight, suddenly aware that Nova wasn’t alone, and looked Erik over with a face of pure delight; she had to have seen the costume already, factors considered. “Gosh, Erik! It looks even prettier on you than when you laid it out for me.” 

“The curse of having a calendar bod.” He joked, and Gemma laughed, and Nova felt another little piece of his soul leave him because… yeah. It was true. “You’ve got the last of it, though, right?” 

“Sure do! Nearly stuck it on my head thinkin’ it was my headscarf this morning.” Gemma dug into the pack at her hip while she spoke. “But I think it came out great!” 

She slipped a square of that same deep blue fabric into Erik’s waiting hand; watching Erik unfurl it revealed it to be a veil, just sheer enough to see the outline of his hand through the silk, and lined with thick, shimmering golden ribbon. But in the center of the veil was what Nova had to assume was the alteration: a symbol embroidered in golden thread. A very, very familiar symbol. 

Nova stared at his left hand like it was the first time he saw it. 

Behind him, Veronica and Serena ooh’d and ahh’d, and Erik nodded at the handiwork appraisingly, pulling the veil upward to tie around his head. “Oh, that’s perfect, Gemma. I owe you one.” 

Gemma puffed out her chest in pride. “Gimme your dessert our next meal, and we’re even.” 

“Sorry. Already promised Mia she’d get it if she did a good job.” 

“And didn’t you just say _I_ did a good job? Artists need compensation, Erik. Tell ‘im, Nova!” 

“You… wait. Hold on.” Nova had to look to Gemma. Until he could properly register that that was _his_ brand that was going to be _that_ close to _Erik’s_ mouth. “You stitched the Mark of Light on it?” 

“That’s what he asked me to do!” Gemma, as ever, was proud of her expert handiwork—and Nova was too, of course, but if she understood the implications that Nova was seeing in placement, she didn’t make it known. “Tricky bit of embroidery, that. I’ve never seen silk so fine! Almost felt a shame to add to it.” 

“Well, sure, but… why the Mark?” Nova asked. “Erik has the Pommel on his mantle, right? So why…” 

“I’ve already got that on the apron, but I needed an easy identifier—this is the first time people are seeing me like this, and I don’t want to get mistaken for a target.” Erik cut in, mouth now perfectly obscured behind the veil in question—and sure enough, one covert glance to his legs showed the Pommel on the apron hanging from Erik’s belt, shining like a golden anchor for its celestial brothers and sisters decorating his body. “A good bunch of us’ve got it tacked on somewhere obvious, and we can’t be having those brigands thinking they can just run off with any dancer they fancy, now can we? I’m spoken for.” 

Almighty. Hearing those words in Erik’s voice from behind the Mark of Light might have broken a weaker man. Gemma was one thing, if _Erik_ knew the gravity of what he was saying and how he was saying it, Nova wasn’t sure he’d live through the end of this battle after all. 

“You’re going to be with Veronica, aren’t you, Erik?” Serena asked, softly, coming through in the clutch that Nova so desperately needed right now. “Please do promise you’ll both be careful. It’s been some time since you’ve both been on the frontlines, you know.” 

“Aw, come on, Serena. You don’t have to worry so much.” Erik’s demeanor softened, as it always did towards Serena. “We’re going in with Nova, remember? We’re in the best hands in the army.” 

“We can’t leave _everything_ to him, you know.” Veronica added. “We’re going out there pretty squishy, but I intend to carry my weight out there.” 

“And I don’t? Come on—I’ve got the Pommel for speed, and the Mark for protection, and natural talent for everything else. My bases are covered.” 

Veronica smiled with a raised brow, and poked Erik on his exposed stomach. “Your bases, and not much else.” 

“That’s only by comparison.” Nova found his voice again, hiding behind a forced cough in his throat. “But I know you’d both pull through fine, even if I wasn’t there.” 

And that was the honest truth. Nova knew he wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted on the field—at least, not intentionally so—but whatever aspects in battle he lacked, his friends made up for in droves, and vice versa, among each and every one of them. That camaraderie and balance was what made the Shepherds such a well-oiled machine; no part was less important than the others, and all were needed for their work to be completed. Everyone had a role to play. 

And speaking of roles, Nova had to play his; Jade cast him a questioning glance across the room, and he nodded in turn, coming over to his sister while she helped Mia onto her pegasus. The others understood, and followed him partway in turn. 

“Everyone,” Jade’s voice boomed loud and clear; now seated upon Onyx, Mia poking out behind her, she steered her mount to the entrance, overlooking the army, “prepare yourselves, and get ready to move. Once you all receive the signal, there’ll be no time to lose. The people of Gallopolis and Hotto need our aid. We cannot hesitate.” 

The Shepherds raised fists and blades and spears in a shout of solidarity. Jade was their princess, their captain, their leader, and her role was to spearhead the army in all its movements—and Nova’s was to guide them all at her side. 

“Mia,” He looked up to her, digging into a pack strapped to Onyx, “it’s going to be up to you to send out the signal. You have the matches I told you to bring?” 

“I do.” She answered. “I packed them in my medicine pouch. Is it for a smoke bomb?” 

“Hah! Good eye.” And here, Nova handed Mia two arrows, the heads of which were replaced with a small, grey pouch. “When you find an opening, light one of these, and shoot it upwards. That’ll be the signal for us to advance. With any luck, we should be enough of a diversion for you two to reach the palace gates unscathed.” 

Mia took the arrows, almost reverently, with a solemn nod. “Got it.” 

“Hold down the spot until Hendrik and Gemma reach you. Once they do and you’ve got the doors unlocked, fire the second arrow before you all head inside. The rest of us will follow after you.” 

“You can count on me!” 

While she slipped the arrows into her quiver, Erik came up beside him, his usual swagger in his hi— _steps_. “Keep your eyes on her out there, Jade.” 

Jade nodded in affirmation with a confident smile. “And you keep yours on Nova.” 

Erik crossed his arms, grinning rakishly; he glanced at Nova with a raised brow. “All things considered, I think _he’ll_ be the one keeping his eyes on _me_.” 

“Well, yeah,” said Nova, if only to drown out the sound of him choking on air, “I can’t have you getting stabbed on my watch, can I?” 

He bumped against Erik’s shoulder for good measure, and Erik snickered, so he took that as a victory. Nothing had changed—Erik was just in new clothes, and having fun showing off his skills, like he always did. Nova had to remind himself of that. 

His heart was already a confused mess around Erik as it was. The last thing he needed was to read into signs that didn’t exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as a side note, Fenrir's Pommel is supposed to be Erik's character sigil. I literally couldn't think of anything else to describe it as but a pommel, and Fenrir is because we all know Erik escaped wolf boy containment
> 
> find me at swindlersstole on tumblr, I very much hope you're all liking this so far! :')


	3. The Charge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn’t the time to lose his focus. His friend Veronica was a sitting duck as she was, and his Er—his partner Erik would be too exposed to fight back. That was more than enough motivation to hold it together. And it wasn’t like Erik was doing this for him, or in his line of sight, so… there wasn’t a real chance of letting anything untoward slip.
> 
> Right? Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he _dance_

Twenty minutes after Jade took flight, a plume of grey smoke filled the air above the palace, and the Shepherds of Heliodor charged within Gallopolis. 

As planned, Hendrik blasted through the city walls, Gemma riding along with him, and before the vast majority of brigands could give chase, the rest of the army followed up on their attack. Nova watched Obsidian dash away and out of sight, before returning to his own advance with Erik and Veronica. 

“Veronica, take the front. Erik, stay in between us. I’ll hold up the rear.” 

The two of them nodded, unquestioning; on such attacks, both thief and mage normally stood to the back, close to the shadows, but the needs of the battle had turned them around. Veronica was at her most obvious gliding on the sand, and Erik at his most vulnerable without his armor—as Serena had fretted, Nova had to support them however he could, if they were to make any headway. 

They’d done something similar before, when Risen flooded the streets of Gondolia. To divide and conquer was a tried and true method, and with the people of Gallopolis prepared and boarded in their homes, it did grant the army more time in routing the invaders. But for every boon granted, one was taken; brigands weren’t Risen, they could think and plan and adapt without a puppet master, and Nova’s tactical line of thought only went so fast. Now, just as with every other time, they had to be careful. 

To the credit of his companions, they did just that. To say that Veronica was a hothead or that Erik was a showoff would have been putting it mildly, in both their cases, but they knew to hold it together well enough not to get themselves hurt. Veronica hurled flame after flame at any sellsword mage foolish enough to oppose her, zipping in and out of dimensions faster than the eye could see, and meeting their assaults head-on. And for every opposing spell that slipped past her, Erik dodged with ease and nary a sear to his person, finishing off opponents Nova could not with swift precision. 

His usual deftness hadn’t been lost with a switch in vocation—in fact, it only seemed to grow stronger, but Nova knew that much of that was thanks to Erik’s lack of any real protection weighing him down, and it was all the more reason to stay vigilant. Any slip up, and he could very well end up injured like Sylvando or worse, and his dancer’s clothes would be torn to ribbons, exposing ever more and more of his skin just waiting to be marked by _wait no Nova was losing perspective—_

“Hendrik and Gemma should have made it to the palace by now.” With a lull in brigands’ forces, Nova stopped to take a look to the sky. There had still been no sign of the second signal, but the more they kept moving, the better Nova could keep his mind on the task at hand. “It feels like it’s gotten quiet, though…” 

“I’m willing to bet these raiders are trying to head back there, too. Strength in numbers, and all.” Erik sheathed his sword in one smooth motion, but the subtle frustration in his voice wasn’t subtle enough for Nova not to notice. Mia was on the other end of this, after all. “I say we start making our way over. Signal or not.” 

“I agree.” Both of their sisters were more than capable of the task given to them, but absence made a brother’s heart grow anxious. “Let’s move before more reinforcements come.” 

“Hold on.” 

Nova stopped in his tracks, Erik not too far behind him. Veronica was leaning back against the wall of a nearby building, fanning herself haphazardly with her hat; her lantern rattled and swung idly near her hip, clacking against the wall here and there. “Veronica?” 

“I need—” She panted, “That last rush… I went too fast—I have to rest.” 

“I don’t know if we’ll have much time for that.” Erik took a glance down each end of the street. “Nova, cover us. I’m gonna give her a kick-start.” 

“You—right now?” 

“What, do I need a written invitation, or something? Just keep a lookout.” 

Erik had said it light-heartedly enough, but there was a sense of urgency in his tone, and Nova knew better than to argue the point. This is what he asked Erik to do, after all—it wouldn’t make an especially good impression as a tactician to backtrack on an idea like that in the middle of a battle. 

Nova gave him a quick nod and turned his back, facing the path to the palace with blade in hand. This wasn’t the time to lose his focus. His friend Veronica was a sitting duck as she was, and his Er— _his partner Erik_ would be too exposed to fight back. That was more than enough motivation to hold it together. And it wasn’t like Erik was doing this for him, or in his line of sight, so… there wasn’t a real chance of letting anything untoward slip. 

Right? Right. 

“Up and at ‘em, Ronnie!” 

The dance wasn’t for him, and he knew that, and he knew he didn’t _have_ to look—and yet even so, Nova couldn’t help but catch Erik’s movement from the corner of his eye. 

He started low to the ground, spinning and kicking up sand as he rose, and once he hit his full height, Erik vaulted off the ground from a near-pirouette into a full body flip. He landed on both feet, bent at the knee, and as he stood again he extended a hand, unfurling from this chest, towards Veronica. 

Sparkles and flecks of gold followed his every move—his revitalizing magic must have taken that form, like Sylvando’s took the form of feathers—and following the guide from his hand, the glitter in the air circled around Veronica in turn. Nova couldn’t see her, from his angle, but heard her exhale clear as day, far more energetic than she had been before. 

“Get a load of you, Twinkle Toes!” She sounded impressed, and a part of Nova wished she didn’t. Erik already looked too good as a dancer, the fact that he was also really that good at the role was going to ruin him in time if he wasn’t careful. “I’ll admit it, you’re not half bad.” 

“I think that’s the most praise I’m going to get out of you, so I’ll take it.” Erik rubbed at his wrists, latching his dancer’s rings back onto their hooks on his bracers. “How’s it looking out there, Nova?” 

“It’s pretty—no, wait—” Goddess, why did he look— “I’m not seeing anything yet. Did either of you bring a spyglass?” 

“I’ve got mine.” Veronica dug into her pack while she spoke. “You think they’re alright over there?” 

“If something went wrong, Jade would have sent Mia back on Onyx by now.” Nova took her spyglass, to better scan the sky above. “But the front doors are on higher ground, so maybe—” 

“Wait.” Erik cut in, and Nova didn’t have to look at him to hear the way his eyes narrowed. “How easy do you think it would be to scale the palace?” 

“What?” And here, before Nova could lower the lens and even think about what that question could possibly mean, Erik had come up beside him, and pushed the spyglass down, to focus on the palace itself. 

“Just. Tell me I’m not seeing things.” 

It took a moment for Nova’s eyes to adjust to the shift—but when they did, Erik’s meaning had suddenly become clear. A bolt of deep red and vibrant blue was scrambling up the left side of the palace, up along a pillar and latching onto the stone awning over the doors. And when that bolt found their footing, they raised their arm skyward, and let fly an arrow; the arrow exploded midair into another cloud of grey, and satisfied with their work, the bolt jumped up and down a few times in celebration before scampering away, ducking onto a nearby balcony and disappearing into the castle. 

“…huh.” Nova lowered the spyglass, a mix of surprise and relief coming over him. “That’ll get the job done.” 

“What a little ham.” Erik threw his head back with a sigh, but his resounding laughter was hard to hide. “She’s lucky I don’t drop her off back at school, if she’s gonna pull stunts like that.” 

“Hey, let’s be fair, here.” Veronica stepped in between the two cooly, and plucked her spyglass out of Nova’s hands, “Your dessert’s on the line, Erik. I’d overachieve to take that from you, too.” 

“Thanks.” 

“Welcome. Now, are we going to get moving, or are we going to stand here flapping our gums all day?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because his outfit is based on Inigo's (ie, the Awakening dancer model), Erik's revitalizing dance is based entirely off of Olivia's. there aren't really many 3D FEs to draw inspiration from for that, but lbr the Awakening one is the most fun anyway. the 3H is stupid, where's the PIZZAZZ
> 
> this is where my speed bump is, though, because next chapter is the mandated battle scene, and who tf knows how to write one of those! but i'll get that bad boy out all in due time i swear 
> 
> as always you can find me at swindlersstole on tumblr, and please let me know what you think! <3

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts i THINK since september 2019, and i told myself i wasn't going to post it until the whole thing was done, and. well. writer's block in regards to actually writing combat is kicking my butt bad, so hopefully putting what i have out there now will get me outta the funk. :')
> 
> my dq tumblr is swindlersstole, and please feel free to ask me any questions about this there!! there's a lot of details (like everybody's specific class assignments) that i can't really show as is. comments and kudos are always appreciated <3


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